P-xylene is typically made by reforming naphtha to reformate that is rich in C6 to C10 aromatics. The conversion of reformate to p-xylene is accomplished through a series of capital and energy intensive fractionations and reactions (primarily aromatics transalkylation and isomerization) along with selective isolation of p-xylene through simulated moving bed separation or crystallization.
There is a need for lower cost processes for making compounds that can be used to make xylenes and processes for making xylenes.